Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 89 — page 9: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

me a ee ‘Working like a brick! Joined the School of Anatomy at the hospital over here. I’m a first- class sawbones already, and can prescribe any drug in the pharmacopeia. Come out with me. Pll introduce you to some of the boys. We're going on a tip-top racket to-night!” ‘* What’s that?” ‘“You see, the whole crowd is dead broke. Never saw such a bu’sted crowd in my life; books all up the spout, jewelry gone, and no hang up at the beer-saloon; hard-hearted pari- ents won't respond to heart-broken appeals.” Here he raised his handkerchief to his eyes and wiped away an imaginary tear. ** Well?” ‘We must have a subject. The keeper of the Morgue won’t give us one unless the order is‘C.O.D.2 We owehim for three, already, and to-night we are going to the cemetery after a stiff.’ ‘* Resurrectionists, eh?’ ‘‘ Precisely,” replied Sam Sadrake. “711 go with you, just for the fun of the thing. 1 want something to wake me up, but if ou really want money, | have come into my Fortune, such as it is,” ‘Don’t growl; you're well fixed. I heard all about it. Wish I was half as well off.” ‘Anyway, my purse is at your disposal,” concluded Jim. ‘* Never talk like that again, please,” said Sad- rake, in a tone of annoyance. I didn’t come to you begging. If our crowd is hard up, I hope we are gentlemen.” ‘**Don’t get mad. Ididn’t mean that. You are so touchy that you jump down a fellow’s throat before he has time to explain himself.” Sam Sadrake accepted the apology, and they started together for the purpose of meeting Sam’s friends. “Tm going to take you to Takemoff’s,” ex- plained Sam. ‘He’s just sed, and has started on his own hook. Doesn’t.do much yet; ‘lives in hopes and on credit. Wise fellow. We'll lin for beer and tobacco. I can answer for us. Will send out to the restaurant for dinner; at dark we will start for the bone-yard.” ‘* Leave the restaurant alone for to-day,” said im. “Oh! Jé will stand it! We are good there till the end of the week by a private arrangement with the proprietor.” **Come and dine with me. I[’ll order dinner act, six, at Taylor’s. Don’t say no. I insist upon i Sadrake made no objection, and Jim stopped at the hotel on his way to order a sumptuous re- past, including all the delicacies of the season, regardless of cost. ‘ Yow’re a trump!” said Sam Sadrake, enthu- siastically. ; ‘“‘T always like to treat my friends well,” re- plied Jim. TF In time they reached a house, which had a sign on the door: ‘Doctor Takemoff. Office hours 10 to 12 and 3 to 6. Leave orders on the slate.” He was ushered into a room on the first floor, which was the young doctor’s office. It was garnished with medical books, surgical instru- ments, which had a decidedly depressing effect on the visitor, and a few relics of mortality in the shape of bones and skulls. In an adjoining room, separated from the office by folding doors, was heard a confused noise, as of many voices, i ‘* For Heaven’s sake, hush up!” said some one; ‘didn’t you hear the bell ring? I’ve got a pa- tient!” At this declaration the laughter increased to a roar. ‘** Make your mind easy, on that score,” added another. ‘“ That’s an impossibility!” ‘* Have the decency to behave yourself while I go and see. I am in the melancholy position of a promising young man.” ‘Very promising! When did you promise to pay your landlady?’ Dr. Takemoff held up his hands in depreca- ion. ‘‘Gentlemen,” he said, “‘no personal remarks, [ beg. Allow me to secure this patient and I will promise to kill him in a month.” This ludicrous scene was cut short by Sam Sadrake, who threw open the folding doors. ‘Behold your patient!” he exclaimed, “and let me introduce to your favorable notice, Mr. Dick Dimity,who has just come into a fortune at the death of his father, whom he cruelly poison- ed with arsenic, and has, as an expiation of his sin, invited us all to dine at Taylor’s Hotel, at six this evening.” The half-dozen young men present began to nound the table with empty glasses, stamp their — ae $$ SSS SSS Island Jim. ee Oe nee SO ee feet on the floor, and by imitating cats and roosters, endeavored to convey to Jim an idea of their appreciation of him. ‘*Gentlemen,” continued Sadrake, “ pray si- lence! Do you wish to convey to Mr. Dimity the idea that dining is such an unwonted occur- rence in your daily lives, that you cannot re- strain yourselves at my announcement?” Sadrake would have continued, but he was hit in the mouth by an old shoe; he successiully dodged a thigh bone, but eventually succumb. d to a syringe which broke upon his ear. Order being restored, Jim produced a five dol- lar bill, which each member of the party got up to look at. It was regarded as arare curiosity, and he was asked if General Cesnola dug it up in Cy- prus? A portion of it, however, was soon resolved into cigars and beer, which increased the hilari- ty of the party. The conversation was strictly of a ‘‘shoppy ” kind, every one talking hospital or medicine. ‘*[T had a lovely compound fracture of the tibia, to-~lay,” said one; ‘* most beautiful thing lever saw!” ‘* Bet it couldn’t beat my cancer,” exclaimed another. ‘I’m old Cutter’s dresser, you know and when we got it out, it weighed a pound and a quarter; the woman fainted and we were half an hour bringing ber to.” ‘‘Ah, pshaw!” remarked a languid youth; ‘ 7 . >, ‘‘what’s that to my morphine suicide? I was upall night with her. Terrible time. No good, though; died at seven this morning. No one claims the body. Cut her up, to-morrow. Pret- ty girl; very!’ ‘* By Jinks!” said a very beery-looking young man, ‘* you ought to have seen my fatal accident! Fellow fell from a third story window; smashed all to pieces; put him together again, though, and I guess he’ll live three days.” “Gentlemen!” said Dr. Takemoff, “if you will allow me, I will tell you about my mysteri- ous case.” Cries of, ‘* You never had one!” ‘Go long!” ‘What are you giving us?’ ‘We don’t want any taffy!” ‘‘ You can’t play it on us,” etc. Dr. Takemoff put his hand on his heart and smiled, blandly. ‘TL assure you, gentlemen, that I have a most remarkable case on hand, and while we drink the beer, for which we are indebted to the gene- rosity of our new acquaintarce—let me call him ‘friend,’—I should like to give you a clinic about it.” No opposition being made, he continued, after a brief pause: ‘**You are all aware that I have for three years made galvanism my principal study, and what little reputation I have gained is entirely due to the success I have met with, in that branch of research. A little while ago I cured a case of paralysis of the brain, and now I have a youth under my care whose memory is entire- ly gone.” “Congenital?” asked Sam Sadrake. ‘“By no means. Near Elizabeth lives a farm- er named Herschell, who, some months back, found this boy in a dried-up well, with a frac- tured skull. It was evidently an attempt at murder. The boy is now perfectly well and healthy, but hismemory of all that had occurred to him before the fracture is gone.” *“ Don’t recollect anything?” “ Nothing at all. He can’t say who he is, or where he came from. Outside of that he is per- fectly rational. He’s bright, sensible, intelli- gent, and works on the farm. He reads and talks like any one else, but his mind is like aslate that has been wiped with a sponge. Mr. Her- schell has called me in. I have examined the case and find it as stated. To-morrow I begin my galvanic treatment.” Jim listened to this explanation of the re- markable case, with something akin to awe, It occurred to him that the boy, whose memory of the past was gone, could be no other than Dick Dimity. If so, the meshes of a strong net were gradually closing around him. A cold sweat broke out all over his body: his spine became icy cold, and a chilling damp burst from his forehead, ‘Do you think you will be successful in your treatment?” he asked. ‘‘Tt is impossible to say,” replied Dr. Takem- off, who looked curiously at J im, adding—‘“‘ By the way, it is somewhat curious that this new patient of mine is very like you.” ** Like me?” “Yes indeed! You might be taken for twin brothers!” This declaration redoubled Jim’s anxiety and horror. Already the gloomy doors of a prison 9 — —_—— ee seemed to yawn for him, and he saw himself condemned to the laborious seclusion of a jail. Fervently he hoped that galvanism might be unable to effect a cure, for so long as Dick Dimity remained in his present state he was not dangerous. A long discussion about galvanism ensued, in which every one had something to say. “If I only had something to go upon,” re- marked ‘Taiemoff; “if I could touch some sympathetic chord I should be sanguine of sue- cess—a picture of some relation—a familiar name, shown or uttered when I administer the shock, would help me greatly.” Soon afterward an adjournment to the hotel for dinner was made. and an elegant repast was done ample justice to by the students. it was nearly ten o’clock when they quitted the dining-room and made their way on foot to the cemetery, where a man whom they em- ployed in these expeditions had preceded them with a wagon, which he drew up under the sha- dow of a wall. It was a wild night. The rain fell at inter- vals, and the wind blew in fitful gusts; dark clouds obscured the surface of the moon, which appeared only at intervals. A better night could not have been chosen for the accomplishment of the revolting task these youthful resurrectionists had set themselves, as they argued, in the interests of science. Reaching the spot where the man was wait- ing, Sam Sadrake spoke a few words in a low tone. Armed with a couple of spades, Takemoff and the man led the way over the wall, the others following. The man had been in the cemetery during the day and had selected a grave to which he led the ghouls. It was a newly-made grave, for the earth was pag een piled up in a mound-like form on e top. The aroud was soft, and presented little dif- ficulty to the diggers, who worked with a will, ‘pied were tired, when two others took their lace. By this system of relays the grave was rapidly emptied of the earth. It fell to Jim’s lot to work in the last shift, and he plied his shovel vigorously, until he struck something hard. ‘© Coffin!” he cried. ‘* Hurrah, boys!” said Sam Sadrake; “ get the ropes ready !” few minutes more and the ropes were placed under the coflin, which was hauled out and placed on the ground, A couple of chisels were at once inserted near en of the casket, which was of elegant make, ‘*We’ve got some swell here!” said Sam Sadrake; ‘‘ this is no poor man’s coffin.” ‘‘What’s the odds?’ replied Dr. Takemoff - le won't cut up any the worse for being rich. Suddenly the wrack which was driving across the sky lifted, and the pale moon shone out in all ier glory. Jim cast his eyes accidentally on the lid of the coffin, and theinscription on the silver plate was distinctly visible. He uttered a cry of alarm, mingled with hor- ror. The inscription on the plate was as follows: ‘RICHARD DIMITY; BORN 1836; Diep 1878,” P doctor also saw it and was equally shock- ed. “Great heaven!” he exclaimed. “ This is awkward! By Jove, never saw such a thing in my life! The man’s dug up his own father! Put it back again, boy! Weill try our luck another time,” It was true; by a strange irony of fate, Jim had assisted in unearthing the casket which con- Pree the remains of the man he called his fa- ther! Just as the doctor spoke, Sam Sadrake suc- ceeded in forcing up the lid, which flew back with a jerk. . . Jim turned away his face wos te I as he did, to see the pallid features of the de man who had been so kind to him. Hardened though he was, he could not bear to look upon the ghastly remains of his benefac- tor. He was startled by a loud cry of amazement, which broke from all the students at once. Turning again, he was compelled by a strange species of fascination, to peer into the casket. The cause of the exclamation was apparent— the coffin was empty! Nothing reposed in the satin-lined receptacle e€oilm GHOOOKS